Beautiful World Academy
by FishingAtTheCreek
Summary: Alternatively titled "Gayest School Ever Wow". There is one school in America where only the most elite students from around the world attend. Join these smart kids with drama, dating, and pasta! Multiple pairings because this is Hetalia and everyone is very gay.
1. Theoretically Speaking

**I cannot fucking believe I've gotten to the point of writing Hetalia. This is a series that I thought I would never write for because I thought I wasn't that much of a weeaboo. **

**But here I am. This idea is so unoriginal but I thought it would be so cute too omg. Okay so there are going to be a bunch of typical pairings such as:**

**GermanyxItaly, SpainxRomano, USUK, JapanxGreece, SwedenxFinland, DenmarkxNorway, PolandxLithuania, RussiaxChina, and probably more idk. **

**Also, I'm having trouble deciding on who I want Prussia with. It's between Canada and Austria. I love both pairings so much I just don't even know.**

**So, on my profile there's a poll. PruCan or PruAus. YOU decide. Okay cool bye. **

**xxx**

Orbis Terrarum Academy was one of the most prestigious schools in the world. It was located in America, right in Washington, and only the most elite students from around the world could attend. Less than a hundred students were picked each year to go to this special place. It is rumored that whoever is chosen has an almost guaranteed future for the rest of their lives.

The academy was most commonly nicknamed the "Beautiful World Academy", for the amount of foreign students was very high. Despite the location, only a couple of Americans actually got on each year. Not because of intelligence, mind you, but because they focused so much on the foreign students, it would be unfair if most were American.

A common rumor was that since the students were so bright, they didn't get into drama as much as regular high schools. Allegedly, they weren't worried about dating or friends or gossip whatsoever.

This, however, proved to be incredibly and utterly _false_.

**xxx**

Being stuck on a plane with a very energetic and happy person didn't sound too bad, theoretically. But it was absolute Hell for Lovino Vargas. It was his own twin brother, he should have been used to it. But he really wasn't.

"Do you think they will serve pasta? I hope they have lots and lots of it! But even pizza would be nice, anything that isn't gross is good enough for me," Feliciano rattled on in English, not noticing how disgruntled the elder twin was. "Oh boy, I bet the school is really amazing if it's so hard to get into!"

Lovino huffed, poking his brother hard in the arm. "Shut up, _idiota_. I don't care."

Feliciano frowned a bit, then smiled. "Ah, _fratello_. You should be happy! I know it won't be as nice as Italy, but we'll make all sorts of friends from around the world! Even if they don't have pasta, it will be great!"

The other Vargas growled a bit, silently praying they would soon arrive in Washington. He never understood how Feliciano, the moron, was accepted into Orbis Terrarum. Lovino suspected it had something to do with his artwork, which was constantly praised back in their small Italian village. Feliciano was absolutely adored there, and Lovino had been the "other Vargas". He wasn't as skilled as his brother when it came to artwork, and he only got into the academy because of Feliciano. It was embarrassing.

Before he could think about how awful his life was some more, the plane began to land. His brother cheered and raved about this, and Lovino Vargas suddenly realized that he was going to be in a school filled with strangers. Maybe, for once, he wouldn't be known as the other twin. Maybe he could finally be known as Lovino Vargas.

**xxx**

Feliciano Vargas couldn't possibly be happier. Not even if his artwork was accepted into a museum. Not even if he had a lifetime supply of pasta. Okay, maybe not as extreme as the second one, but he was pretty darn happy. He was standing in front of the most beautiful building, with his twin brother and a whole lot of luggage. No, there was never a moment in his life where he was this happy.

Then again, he said that about any exciting thing that happened to him.

"Hey! _Idiota_! Where do we go?" Lovino demanded, glaring at his dreamy-faced brother viciously. The other only smiled in return. He couldn't be mad at his twin, he was just normally grumpy like that.

"Hmm, I don't know, _fratello_! I don't think they specified where to go..." Feliciano looked around curiously, and his brother sighed loudly.

"They probably did. You're just too stupid." Before Feliciano could defend his intelligence, he noticed a girl walking out of the building.

"Excuse me!" Feliciano yelled, waving his arms wildly. Lovino hissed at him to shut up, but the girl approached them. She was very pretty, with wavy brown hair secured with a flower clip. "Do you know where we should go? It is our first year, you see, and we're a bit confused."

The girl smiled sympathetically, nodding a bit. "I do," she confirmed, with a thick Hungarian accent, "First years go to the auditorium. I can show you, if you'd like."

"Ah, would you? How sweet you are! Pretty, too!" Feliciano flirted, earning a giggle from the girl. He was a natural flirt, with any pretty girl he saw. He wasn't serious about it, it was just something he did. "I'm Feliciano Vargas! This is my twin brother, Lovino!" The said twin brother waved at the girl, trying to be just a little friendly.

"I am Elizabeta Héderváry, second year student. It is very nice to meet both of you," she said kindly, beaming mostly at Feliciano.

"Ah, a pretty name that matches the girl it belongs to!" This caused Elizabeta to giggle again, before turning toward the school and gesturing to the brothers to follow. Both picked up their stuff before running after the girl. They entered the building, and Feliciano oohed and aahed at everything he saw. Lovino kept pouting, angry at the attention his brother was already receiving.

Elizabeta stopped in front of two doors, opening one for the Italian brothers. "Just tell them your name and they will give you the key to your room and your schedule. If you need anything else, just come and find me."

"_Grazie_, _bella_!" Feliciano gushed, and Lovino muttered a quick 'grazie' also.

"_Szívesen_! Goodbye, Feliciano! Bye, Lovino!" She waved at both boys before walking off.

Feliciano hummed happily, before grabbing his brother and dragging him into the auditorium, with much protest. Feliciano then saw the first years, and he grew very excited. There weren't a lot, but he'd never seen so many different cultures and races all in one place. He was happy to make all new friends here.

"C'mon, _fratello_! We should get what we need and talk to all of our new friends!" Feliciano suggested to his twin, who huffed in response.

"You can. I am tired, and I'm going to go to my room. Don't tell anyone we are related," he instructed, much to his brother's confusion.

"Ve? Why not, _fratello_?" asked the younger Vargas, frowning.

"I want to introduce myself when I have to. I don't need you doing it for me..." grumbled Lovino and, much to his chagrin, his brother brightened once again.

"Ah, I see! Well, let's get our things first!" Feliciano suggested, and got a grunt in response. They told the teachers their name and got a small envelope with a key and schedule.

"I'm going to my room now," said Lovino, turning around and walking away from his brother.

"Oh, okay! _Addio, fratello. Dormi bene_!" Feliciano called out, and Lovino only scowled at him before he left the auditorium. The Italian boy looked around, scoping out his first friend. He soon found him, a serious looking blond boy who looked twice Feliciano's size. Naturally, he went over to him.

"_Ciao, amico_! My name is Feliciano Vargas! I am a cute and simple boy who loves pasta and art! I hope we can be very good friends and eat lots of yummy food, yes? Ve, what's your name?" The boy seemed shocked from the Italian's friendly, strange opening. However, he was not the type to be rude and say nothing.

"Hello. I am Ludwig Beilschmidt. It is...nice to meet you as well," he greeted politely, a German accent clear in his speech. He wasn't exactly sure how to respond to everything the boy had just said to him. He wasn't used to being greeted like this.

"It is nice to meet you, Ludwig! Wow, you are very big and tough-looking! People must be scared of you!" observed Feliciano cheerfully. The German boy wasn't sure how to respond to this. "I mean, you could beat anyone you wanted up! Ah, don't beat me up though! Friends do not do that to each other!"

"I won't beat you up..." Ludwig reassured him, looking around for somebody that could help him. Before he knew it, the Italian had latched onto him and he was internally screaming.

"Ah, I know we are to be the best of friends! I'm going to teach you how to paint and make you pasta and sing you songs and..."

As Feliciano went on and on, Ludwig Beilschmidt was suddenly wondering if going to this school was a good idea after all.

**xxx**

Lovino was completely lost. In retrospect, it would have been a smart idea to look at a map of the school. There were so many rooms, and he wasn't sure which one was his room. He couldn't even tell which were classrooms! Before he could continue being very confused and lost, someone bumped into him hard enough to make him fall flat on his face.

"Ah! _Lo siento!_ I wasn't looking where I was going!" Two strong hands lifted Lovino to his feet, and he spun around to face the culprit. A boy with curly brown hair and big green eyes looked back at him innocently.

"_Idiota_! Watch where you are going next time! I could've been hurt!" Lovino snapped, crossing his arms. He then remembered he was supposed to be gaining friends. Oops. Well, he didn't want this clumsy bastard as a friend anyway.

"I'm very sorry. I will make it up to you, I promise."

"I doubt it," murmured Lovino, still pissed at this guy. It wasn't a big deal, but it just annoyed Lovino. After spending so much time with Feliciano, he didn't need to be more irritated.

"You are a first year student, _sí_? I shall introduce myself! I am Antonio Fernández Carriedo! What might your name be?" He gave the Italian boy a warm smile, which promptly made him angrier for some reason.

"Hmmph! I shouldn't even tell you because you don't deserve to know! But fine, I am Lovino Vargas." Lovino was actually happy he got to finally introduce himself without Feliciano doing it for him.

"Lovino...ah! That is a very cute name!" Antonio chirped. Lovino was beyond shocked at this comment. Usually, it was Feliciano who got the cute comment. Not him. He was unused to this and didn't know what to do.

"It...it is not! Pervert!" he shouted, face heating up. Antonio only laughed, which made it even worse.

"No, no, I wasn't trying to be like that! No need to blush. Oh, your face, it looks like a tomato!" Then Lovino's cheeks were being pinched and he really wasn't sure how to handle such affection. He smacked the Spanish boy's hands, yelling at him loudly in Italian. "Don't be mad at me! Here, let me do a charm to make you happy! _Fusosososo_..."

"You're strange!" Lovino yelped, stepping back.

"My _amigos_ say the same thing. Say, are you lost, _lindo uno_? I can show you to your room, as an apology!" Antonio suggested kindly.

Lovino glared at him, and reluctantly handed him the key, which had his room number on it. Antonio glanced at it for a second then took Lovino by the hand. "Ah, this was my old room from my first year! It's very close from here!" He dragged Lovino along, chattering idly the whole way.

Theoretically, Lovino should've immediately hated a person like this. It reminded him off his brother. But, Antonio Fernández Carriedo was someone he couldn't find complete hatred for.

**xxx**

**So yeah first chapter holla. Just go and vote who Prussia should be with and then they will be together. **

**I don't even care if I didn't pick the human names of your liking. I know people alternate Hungary's name but Elizabeta is really fucking cute okay I love her so much. **

**Not many crazy foreign words. Really obvious but I'll put them here. **

**Fratello= Brother (Italian)**

**Grazie, bella= Thanks, beautiful (Italian)**

**Szívesen= You're welcome (Hungarian) **

**Addio, fratello. Dormi bene= Goodbye brother, sleep well. (Italian)**

**Ciao, amico= Hello friend (Italian)**

**Lo siento= I'm sorry (Spanish)**

**Lindo uno= Cute one (literally) (Spanish)**

**Don't have to be an expert to figure out idiota. Next chapter will have more wacky nations. **


	2. The Scary Man

**Welcome back to the stereotypical Hetalia story! Where they must put something in the drinking water of this school to make everyone so gay. **

**The poll for PruAus vs. PruCan is still on my profile. I'm probably going to do Prussia's thing next chapter, so this is the last chance. I'm really okay with either pairing. If PruAus wins, I'll do Franada. If PruCan wins, I'll do AusHun. So, basically, I don't even care. **

**Originally I was going to focus mainly on the Italian brothers but I have far too many pairings for that shit. So we're switching POVs a million times in each chapter. Yay. **

**Okay, lemme quit talking. Enjoy the chapter and the pre-established USUK.**

**xxx**

Kiku Honda was told many things in his young life. Some were about his intelligence, some for his maturity. But the most commented thing was on his modesty. Because it was certainly interesting how modest a boy could be.

In Japan, he was surrounded by people that knew he was embarrassed by touches. They were just something that made him uncomfortable, and hugs were out of the question, unless you were blood-related and very close to Kiku. Yes, life in Japan was certainly safe.

America, however, was certainly different.

When he was chosen for the world's most elite school, he expected many things from it. He expected gaining more knowledge and working hard, shaping his future and growing up to be successful. What he did not expect was an excitable Italian boy hugging him.

It started off so normal. The boy had skipped over to him, pulling a very disgruntled German with him, and had introduced himself as Feliciano and the German as Ludwig. Kiku had done his introduction, and he was suddenly pulled into a big hug. He immediately froze, reacting to the hug in no way whatsoever and just staying still.

"Ve? What's wrong? It's only a hug!" Feliciano insisted, hugging tighter. Thankfully, before Kiku could start crying from being so overwhelmed, Ludwig pulled Feliciano off of him easily.

"I think he is uncomfortable. Perhaps you shouldn't assume everyone likes hugs?" suggested Ludwig, and Feliciano frowned. It seemed so out of place for some reason, like his face was built solely for smiles. It made Kiku feel bad for being so awkward.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Kiku! Please forgive me, I hope we can still be friends!" sobbed the Italian boy, clinging onto Ludwig instead, and earning an embarrassed shout.

Kiku smiled gently, nodding a bit. "Of course. I would not think ill of you just from your hugs. I'm sure I would like them if I enjoyed physical contact."

As if Kiku had flipped a switch, Feliciano brightened. He squealed, clapping his hands excitedly. "That is happy! Hooray, I met two new friends today! Big, scary Ludwig and smart, modest Kiku! We will be the best of friends, I know it!"

Even though Ludwig scoffed and Kiku chuckled at this, Feliciano's happy predictions would come true in time.

**xxx**

If there was a day Arthur Kirkland despised, it would be the first day of school.

He was in second year, yet well beyond his years. He had the sort of older, more mature spirit that made him more responsible than his classmates. Because of this, he was elected for student council president in his first year, and he won. He was the youngest president for the school, and he was quite proud of it then.

But that was then, and this was now, and he really hadn't realized how idiotic the rest of the officers were.

First, there was Yao Wang, the secretary. He had picked Yao for his intelligence and organization skills. All was well until he chose the treasurer, Ivan Braginsky. The Chinese and the Russian did not get along in the slightest, and Arthur could do nothing to stop it. Mainly because, like the rest of the student body, he was a little bit afraid of Ivan.

Then there was the vice president, Alfred F. Jones. He was one of the few American citizens that were chosen to attend the school, though his attitude contradicted his intelligence. He was loud, obnoxious, and was always munching on some greasy food item. However, Arthur had a soft spot for Alfred, one that began when they were younger and Arthur would visit America each summer. Alfred had been his first friend, and his closest one, he naturally had to make him vice president. There also might have been an influence from deciding to date a little before the election, but that was coincidental. Still, Arthur didn't want anyone to think it was favoritism, so that little fact about them was hidden from everyone.

It was as if he'd forgotten that Alfred was completely irresponsible. He was only reminded of this on days like these, where things were out of control.

Currently, he was stuffing papers into a folder as he walked down one of the hallways, a difficult task to do. He stopped in front of a door with the sign "A HERO LIVES HERE" taped onto it. He took a minute to roll his eyes, before knocking on the door.

Large blue eyes met his green ones, and a familiar feeling spread throughout his chest when he saw his boyfriend. God, he wasn't used to that word yet. Would he ever be?

Before Alfred could say anything, Arthur shoved the folder against his chest. "Didn't I ask _you_ to print out a sheet of the new students? Now, why do you think _I_ have the sheet instead? Oh, that's right, because Alfred Jones couldn't get his lazy arse out of bed for twenty minutes to do it!"

Alfred laughed, snatching the folder. "Arthur, bro, I was totally going to do it. Seriously, I was on my laptop and everything. But then I saw this super sweet horror game that I just had to play. It was so awesome, it was about animal mascots coming to life and-"

"I couldn't give less of a toss about some stupid bloody game! You promised me you would do it and you didn't," Arthur hissed, looking down at the ground. He knew he shouldn't have expected a lot of work from Alfred, but it was such a simple task. He was usually good with promises. At least, he used to be.

There was a pause. Alfred was most likely realizing he couldn't laugh this one off. He immediately backtracked. "Seriously, dude, I was really going to do it. I'm just...I don't know, I suck at that kind of stuff."

"What? Responsibility?" deadpanned Arthur.

Alfred let out a dry laugh, tucking both hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I guess so."

Damn it. Arthur wasn't supposed to be the one feeling bad right now, but stupid Alfred always ended up being forgiven for things like this. "...It's fine. It was simple to do and only took a bit of my time. Please, could you just give me the status on the problems we faced last year? Have you at least done that?"

The American nodded, taking out a small notebook with a Superman symbol on the front. God, he was childish. "Come in, dude. Easier than just standing in my doorway."

Arthur nodded, stepping inside the room and sitting on the bed. Alfred already decorated, it seemed, for there were posters and soda cans everywhere. It was the first day, how many soft drinks could he consume? Alfred sat in a bean bag next to his bed, clearing his throat.

"So, we still have to do fundraisers and stuff, but our financial situation is pretty good. I suggest thanking me for that, since I was the hero who got us a thousand bucks last year," bragged the bespectacled boy, grinning at Arthur smugly. Though it was an arrogant way to say it, Alfred was the one who helped out the money issue at the academy by contacting the president. It was impressive, though it wasn't like it was the Queen or anything. Still, Alfred was oddly good with finances, even though he refused to be treasurer. Bastard just liked the title of vice president.

"Hm, that's good. Hopefully we can use it to actually have a successful formal this year. Anything else?" There was an edge to Arthur's voice, and his boyfriend spotted it right away.

"Trio is back, unfortunately. One of them has a little brother coming in, actually," reported Alfred, earning a groan from the Englishman. The three most infuriating troublemakers in this school had become friends last year, and they had gained the title of the Bad Friends Trio. Each were annoying in their own, special way.

First, there was Francis Bonnefoy, who was Arthur's sworn enemy. The Frenchman was flirty, suggestive, and self-absorbed to the absolute max. He had no idea what 'personal space' meant and was always making people uncomfortable, especially Arthur. He knew a rivalry between a British and a French was so cliche, but he was not the one to blame. Francis had actually ran for vice president, and was still angry he didn't get picked.

Next was Gilbert Beilschmidt, a German lad whose personality was the worst thing about him. He proclaimed to be the 'most awesome person in awesome history' and went around with that mindset. This proved to be dangerous, however, when he ticked off a Hungarian girl named Elizabeta and got beaten up by her. He swore he had something in his eye, but obviously no one bought it.

The final member of the trio was Antonio Fernández Carriedo. He was admittedly the nicest of the group, but he didn't see a problem in his friends behavior. He was happy to assist them with any sort of prank, it was too much.

Yes, he hated the Bad Friends Trio. Unfortunately, him and Elizabeta seemed to be the only ones. Even Alfred thought they were funny, much to the British teen's chagrin. Now, he got to experience another year of it. Perfect.

"Those three. This is the year, Alfred, I'll stop them this year," Arthur promised, earning an eye roll from his boyfriend. Both knew it was an empty promise, because the Bad Friends Trio were immortal. You couldn't kill them.

"Uh huh, right. That's pretty much it, actually. Yao and Ivan are back, and they're still fighting about stupid things. Except..." Alfred chuckled, "Ivan's sister got in this year."

Arthur raised a bushy eyebrow. Ivan had two sisters, one of which was older than him and in her fourth year, the other younger and...apparently had some kind of obsession with him. That's how Ivan explained it anyway, and the details he gave were disturbing. "Oh hell. Well, maybe Ivan will be so afraid of her he'll make himself useful. I don't know. Anything else?"

Alfred shook his head, closing the notebook. "Nope. Not that I know of, anyway."

"I see. Well, thank you. You actually got some useful information," admitted Arthur, which turned out to be a bad idea.

"I know, right? I might as well be the president! I'm just that great!" Alfred grinned, earning a smack to the head by his British lover.

"Git. Well, I might as well go. I have to write some sort of speech for the assembly tomorrow and I'm actually nervous..."

"You? Really? Dude, you'll get it done in, like, five minutes and it'll be perfect," Alfred said, rolling his eyes. Arthur blushed, pleased with the genuine compliment Alfred gave him. It wasn't very often he did that, and it was much appreciated.

"Please. It'll take me at least an hour to do. I'll see you tomorrow, Alfred." Arthur wrote something down in his own notebook before turning to the door.

"See you. Oh, and Artie?" Arthur cringed at the nickname. He hated it, and Alfred knew that, the stupid wanker. "Uh, don't stay up all night like you did a billion times last year. I know you're the president and that's a big deal, but you shouldn't kill yourself over it."

Arthur softened, the cursed nickname long forgotten. "You don't need to worry about me, I'll be fine. But thank you."

"You're welcome." There was an awkward pause. Then Alfred got up from the bean bag and kissed Arthur on the cheek, earning a small huff from the embarrassed Englishman. He snickered, opening the door and lightly shoving him out. "Bye."

Arthur nearly ran away, cheeks flushing more than he would like. He definitely wasn't used to that. They might've been dating, but affection was something they hadn't quite done a lot of the previous year, due to all of the work. Perhaps...this year would be different.

So although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, Arthur Kirkland went to his room and spent a good ten minutes hugging his pillow and thinking about Alfred F. Jones.

**xxx**

Tino Väinämöinen was afraid and lost. He still wasn't quite sure how he was accepted into Beautiful World Academy, for he was never praised for his intelligence in Finland. Sure, he was a hard-working lad who strived for excellence, but he never thought it was going to be enough for a prestigious academy such as this one. It was overwhelming, and he wasn't sure what to do. Especially since he wasn't sure where he even was.

He looked around nervously. There was nobody. What if he was trapped here forever, wandering the school, completely lost? That thought was enough to scare him into calling for help. "Hello? _Hei_? _Auttakaa minua_!" he shouted, feeling distressed. He heard heavy footsteps, and ran to the source.

"Ah, thank you! I thought I-" But he stopped when he saw who the footsteps belonged to. The boy was much taller than him and...scary. That was the best word to describe him as, really. He was just...terrifying.

"_Ja_? Did you need something?" the giant grunted, his accent unknown to the smaller boy. He could only squeak, stepping back. "Is something wrong?"

"U-Uh...of course not! Haha. Um, I'm just a bit lost, that's all..." Tino explained quickly, looking around for an escape.

"Oh. I can help you," replied the stranger, taking a piece of paper from his bag. Tino thought it was a hit list or something at first, but it turned out to be a map.

"Ah, thank you! Um, I am Tino...it is nice to meet you!" Yes, there we go. If he was polite, he wouldn't be killed by this scary person. Great plan.

The tall man blinked, looking down at Tino. "...I am Berwald. Pleasure to meet you." Ah, well, that was a surprise. He expected to be crushed to death. Oh well, he wouldn't complain.

"Ah, Berwald...what a nice name. Where are you from?" Tino asked, feeling very nervous. When he was nervous, he was chatty.

"Sweden. And you?"

"Finland. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't tell you where I needed to go. How silly of me." With another nervous laugh, Tino pointed to his room on the map. Berwald nodded once, before beginning to walk in the direction Tino pointed to. Tino followed, smiling at the Swedish boy. "I guess it was silly of me not to get a map. I'm sorry..."

"For what?" muttered Berwald, keeping his eyes on the map instead of where he was going. That was really dangerous, Tino was afraid he would accidentally trample someone.

"Ah...well, I don't want to inconvenience you..." stammered Tino, looking down.

"No. It's okay."

He was blunt, but at least he wasn't rude. Tino was expecting to get pushed down some stairs or something, but nothing of the sort occurred. They found Tino's room shortly, and the Finnish boy beamed.

"Ah, thank you! I am very grateful, Berwald!" Tino gushed, no longer fearful of this boy. Okay, that was a complete lie, but he was grateful.

"No problem. See you later, _ja_?" Berwald waved one hand, which was returned enthusiastically by Tino. As the Swedish teen walked away, Tino was happy that he came to this academy.

After all, he has to grow stronger after being in the same school as a giant like that.

**xxx**

**Finland u lil shit.**

**If you think I'm actually going to write out Sweden's accent you're fucking delusional. I am not about that lifestyle, I'm sorry. **

**Hei- Hello (Finnish)**

**Auttakaa minua- Please help me (Finnish)**

**Next chapter: the first day and the Bad Friends Trio! Hooray!**


	3. First Day Blues

**The winner is...PRUCAN, EH! **

**And now, back to Really Gay Multicultural High School. **

**xxx**

The first real day of the school year was supposed to be important. It was the day you went to your classes, met your teachers, and discovered new friends. It was the day exactly how much work you suffered with that year.

It was not for sitting around and drinking alcohol. But the Bad Friends Trio never did like to follow the rules. It would always happen this way; Francis sneaking in enough beer, wine, and sangria to keep the three of them content. The Frenchman would charm anyone who caught them to keep quiet, and it worked for some reason.

The northern most corridor of the school was rarely in use. The classrooms were deserted, as there weren't enough teachers to fill them all. The only one around here to catch them was the janitor, who was half-deaf and delusional. He usually mistook them all for his old friend from the war.

So, on days like these, they would skip class and just relax, drinking and talking and laughing. With one glance, you would assume they've been friends their whole life. But it has only been a year.

"To the Bad Friends Trio," Francis declared, raising his wine glass. "_Soyons ensemble pour toujours." _The three of them were in a small circle, bags thrown around them.

Gilbert hooted, raising his beer can as well. "_Trinken wir für immer_!"

"_Vayamos de fiesta para siempre_!" Antonio finished, taking a long gulp of his sangria. The three of them were very different, there was no denying it. Antonio being clueless and sweet, Francis being seductive and flirty, and Gilbert being loud and obnoxious. But each had to admit, they were never as happy as when they were together.

Francis smirked at his comrades, setting his wine glass on the floor delicately. "Now, _mes amis_, time to talk about the important things. Are there any cute first years?"

Gilbert made a loud 'pff' sound, slamming down his beer. "_Nein_. First years are never awesome. Well, I was, but I was the exception!" He paused. "Well, I guess my _bruder_ is okay. Of course, he isn't as awesomely awesome as me..."

"Tsk, you must have an open mind, Gil. I think these first years are _très mignon_. They are so clueless, it's too much," Francis replied, giggling a bit. His loud comments of cute people often rubbed off onto his friends.

Antonio nodded eagerly. "_Sí_. I met the cutest one yesterday, though. Ah, he was so adorable, and he had the nicest name..."

Gilbert and Francis gave each other knowing looks. Their Spanish friend was sweet, but had an awful habit of liking rude people. They could only count on one hand how many of Antonio's crushes have been decent. He would fall in love and they'd have to pick up the pieces when his heart was broken, as always.

Francis patted the Spaniard's head. "That is lovely, Tonio. I'm sure we would love to meet him."

"Not until you two meet my _bruder_! My awesome first year will be introduced before any of them!" squawked Gilbert defiantly. He always needed to be the first to do something, to maintain his self-proclaimed title of 'most awesomely awesome king of awesome'.

"Ah! I almost forgot. Are we going to Arthur's speech today?" Antonio inquired, finishing his sangria. The student council president was going to give his annual speech to the first years later that day. It was only mandatory for the ones he was to address, but any student could go.

Francis sighed, looking forlorn. "I would, if that British _crétin_ didn't treat me with such disrespect. Honestly, what have I done wrong?"

"You pinched his ass," recalled Antonio.

"You insulted his cooking," said Gilbert.

"You mocked his accent."

"You said his queen was a fool."

"_Merci_, I appreciate your support," Francis grumbled sarcastically, which caused all of them to guffaw at the reaction. No matter what, they couldn't stay mad at each other.

Their carefree time was interrupted, however, with the sound of a clearing throat. The three of them shouted at once, scaring the stranger who had silently crept over to them.

"Maple leaf!" he yelped, taking a cautious step back. The trio relaxed, realizing it was just a confused student and not a teacher. He wasn't intimidating in the least, having big violet eyes and long blond hair. He wasn't particularly handsome or interesting, he had the sort of face you'd easily forget. "Oh, um, I'm sorry. I was just lost, I didn't mean to startle anyone..."

Francis was on his feet in seconds, wrapping an arm around the new boy. "Not at all, _mon cher. _We are very welcoming of newcomers, especially ones with such beauty."

The boy looked confused, his cheeks turning pink. "Eh, beauty...?"

"Francis, _amigo_, don't tease him!" Antonio scolded, though he was laughing. "What is your name then?"

"Oh, um, it's Matthew Williams," replied the newcomer shyly, smiling a little. Gilbert jumped up, grabbing Matthew by his shoulders and examining his face closely.

"Hmm..." The German poked his red cheeks, then gave him a huge grin. "You have awesome potential! You may drink with us!

"Drink?" Matthew repeated, glancing at the different bottles. "Oh, um. No thanks. I was just lost and..."

"Ah, a first year?"

"No. I'm a second year student..."

They all looked at him blankly. Sure, this guy seemed forgettable, but surely they would have remembered him somehow.

Matthew explained after an uncomfortable silence. "I wasn't here last year. I had to stay home because my mom got sick, but...I'm here now."

"You are from America, _oui_?"

"No...Canada."

There was another pause, before the trio asked, in unison, "Where?"

Matthew sighed, exasperated. "Canada. It's north of America."

Gilbert furrowed his brows. "So it's the same? Same stuff, same language..."

"Kind of. Well, we're fluent in French too."

Francis brightened. "Ah, Canada must be something if you learn my language. The best of all, really."

Gilbert and Antonio made sounds of protest, while Matthew smiled slightly. "Heh. Um, I'd just really like to get to class..."

"The Awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt will take you!" shouted Gilbert, taking Matthew's arm and walking off. "_Ich komme wieder_," he called to his friends as an afterthought.

Matthew was dragged down the stairs, through three corridors, and around the courtyard before he yelped, "Do you even know where I'm going?"

Gilbert stopped, frowning at the Canadian. "I thought my awesome sense would be able to navigate me."

They stared at each other for a long minute. Then Matthew said, a little irritated, "I need to go to Home Economics."

Gilbert thought for a minute, then gasped. "Ah, I know where that is!" The cycle was then repeated, ending with the two of them in front of the correct room. "Pretty awesome of me, huh? Kesesese, I am the best with navigation!"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Incredible..."

Gilbert grinned proudly, the sarcasm escaping him. "Right? This class isn't important, you know. Why did you want to go so badly?"

"Summer assignment. We had to bring in a food item that symbolized where we're from. I didn't want to fail on the first day," explained Matthew.

"What food symbolizes Canada?"

Matthew reached into his bag, bringing out a medium sized jug. "Maple syrup. It isn't much, but..."

Gilbert examined the jug, before opening it and dipping a finger in. He ignored Matthew's loud cry of anger, and tasted the substance. He then gasped, his red eyes widening in amazement. "This is..._unglaublich_! _Lecker_! Awesome!"

Matthew blinked, taken back by the compliment. "You really think so, eh...?"

Gilbert nodded, and pointed at the Canadian. "You! Mattie Williams! I hereby honor you the 'Awesome Me Award'! Be very thankful, for only two others have received such an award!"

Matthew was both surprised by the nickname and the award. No one had ever called him 'Mattie' before, so he was kind of flattered. "Oh, uh, thanks? But it's just maple syrup..."

"_Nein_! It is the most awesome thing I ever tasted!" Gilbert insisted, then smiled at Matthew. A genuine smile, not just an overconfident grin. "We are friends now, yes? Because you gave me your syrup, and I gave you my award!"

"Um...yeah, okay, we're friends."

Gilbert cheered, patting Matthew on the shoulder, hard. "That is good! Well, I must return to my other friends. So long, Mattie!" He ran off, still laughing that strange cackle of his.

Matthew stood there, unsure how to feel about what just happened. On one hand, he met the most obnoxious, egotistical human being on the planet.

On the other hand, that person was now his friend.

All in all, he guessed it could have been worse.

**xxx**

Kiku knew that the teachers here were expected to be tough. They were teaching honor students, and ones from around the world at that. However, he was pretty sure they weren't supposed to be as terrifying as this biology teacher.

The woman, who introduced herself as Ms. Korkunç, was a young Turkish lady with narrow eyes and black hair in a tight bun. She had an attitude that didn't seem to allow nonsense of any kind, or she would bite someone's head off.

"When I call your name, you will sit in the seat I point to. The person next to you will be your lab partner all year. No exceptions," she said briskly, going to the first table. "Bondevik and Denson." Two boys, one expressionless and the other chipper, sat in their seats, the Denson one immediately starting a conversation with the other, who ignored him.

Ms. Korkunç went to the next desk, calling out, "Laurinaitis and Łukasiewicz." Kiku was shocked to see a young male wearing a skirt bouncing over to the seat, and an exasperated teen hesitantly sitting next to him. It looked like there certainly was a lot of diversity.

The teacher continued, naming off the students and having them sit with their partners. Some got along well, others did not. Kiku only hoped to sit next to Feliciano or Ludwig, for they were the only two he knew.

Unfortunately, the teacher called out, "Vargas and Beilschmidt." Kiku watched as the two sat, Feliciano latching onto the very embarrassed German boy. He would be paired up with a complete stranger.

Finally, Ms. Korkunç reached the final table. "Honda and Karpusi." Kiku rushed to his seat, looking down at the table immediately. It seemed like minutes before he felt his lab partner take the seat next to him, and he allowed himself to look. The boy was Greek, with long brown hair and half-lidded green eyes that gave him a permanently sleepy look.

"Hello," he greeted Kiku, waving one hand lazily. He seemed nice enough, which was a huge relief to the Japanese boy. He would've died if this person was cold.

"Hello. Ah, my name is Kiku." Thanks to the teacher's surname list, he had no idea what this boy's first name was. It took him a while to get used to calling people by their first name when he arrived in America, so used to surname basis.

"Heracles," the boy hummed, before his head fell to the table. Kiku was alarmed, thinking that this person had passed out right in front of him, until he heard soft snores. He was sleeping, that's all. Odd to do in the middle of class, but Kiku was much too bashful to wake him.

Ms. Korkunç glanced around the room, missing the snoozing Heracles and nodding. "I hope you get along with your partner, because they're going to be the ones you trust your grade with. If your partner is unwilling to help, both will suffer in the long run. I'm not asking any of you to become friends, I'm simply suggesting you become on civil terms. Is that clear?"

The class murmured a 'yes' in return, all except for Feliciano, who chirped, "Me and Ludwig will become the best of friends, _insegnante spaventoso_! We are already so close, right Ludwig?"

The class giggled, Ludwig letting out a groan and pushing the confused Italian away from him. Kiku saw the teacher's lips twitch, before she continued, "As I was saying, don't let any negative feelings get in the way of you two. You have to work together to succeed, no matter what."

Kiku glanced at Heracles, who was still asleep. If this person was his lab partner, the person he had to trust to succeed, then he was doomed.

**xxx**

As the biology class was suffering with a very cold teacher, Lovino Vargas was suffering with a very cheerful Spanish teacher.

The man, named Señor Tonto, beamed at the class, his white teeth gleaming. "Now, you all can sit wherever you want, I don't mind! Just go after I say your name, that is all I ask. Okay, first..." The chubby man looked on his list, before shouting, "Vargas!"

Lovino scowled, going to the last seat at the last row. Though he wanted to make friends, he was much too antisocial to do so. It was a struggle, to say the least.

Señor Tonto called out more names, and the seats began to fill. By the end, there were three noticeably empty seats; two in the front and the one beside Lovino.

The teacher furrowed his brows, looking back to the list. "Hmm...I recognize these three names, so it is strange they aren't here..."

"_Excusez-nous_, señor, we are terribly sorry," a French boy purred, two other students by his side. Lovino didn't recognize him, nor did he recognize the albino boy by his left, but he did know one of the boys. It was Antonio, that Spanish dickhead. Why was he here? Didn't he speak the damn language anyway? "You see, we were just helping a few first years go to their classes. You know how it is..."

Señor Tonto smiled at the three, shaking his head. "Ah, how kind of you three! I have heard bad things about your trio, but I think the other teachers were exaggerating. Come now, take your seats. Bonnefoy, Beilschmidt, and Carriedo, _sí_?"

"That's right," the Frenchman grinned, taking the first seat in the front. The German sat next to him, leaving Antonio to sit next to Lovino. Once he realized it was the first year he met yesterday, he grinned.

"Lovi~! Ah, it is so nice to see your cute face again!" squealed the Spaniard. Lovino flushed, especially when the students around him snickered. Antonio didn't seem to notice this, only beamed at the Italian.

"Bastard. Don't call me that," he growled, looking down.

"What? Cute, or Lovi?"

"Both!"

Antonio laughed, pinching the Italian's cheek. "But you are cute! And you are my little Lovi!"

Even the teacher had heard this, and he chuckled. "Now, now. Unless it is in Spanish, I don't think this kind of talk is necessary."

"_Lovino es muy_ _lindo_!" Antonio declared, causing the whole class, plus señor Tonto, to laugh. Lovino twitched, hiding his face with both hands. He wanted to melt right into the seat, it would be much better than this.

"You two _novios_ can flirt later, okay?" Señor Tonto teased, causing the very red Italian to huff. "Right now, I ask that you all pair up and fill out this survey. Just so we can all get to know each other more." He passed out the sheets of paper.

Antonio poked Lovino when he received his. "Want to work together, Lovi?"

The boy frowned, looking around. "...Fine. But only because there's no one else to work with. Just so you know, we are not flirting."

Antonio laughed, ruffling the disgruntled teen's hair. "Whatever you say, _mi lindo pequeña italiano._ I will survey you first, okay?"

"Fine, whatever..."

"Hmm, let's see...when is your birthday, Lovi?" Antonio inquired, grinning slightly.

"March 17th..."

"Aw, that is too far away! I was hoping it would be soon, so I can give you a present!" Antonio said, making Lovino squint a bit. Why was this Spaniard so damn nice to him? "Anyway, where are you from? Ah, I know it is Italy but..."

"Hmmph. A small village near Florence," replied Lovino, a bit ashamed of where he was from. Florence was such a beautiful place, yet the village he lived...

"I see! How interesting," Antonio mumbled, scribbling it down. "Any siblings?"

Lovino opened his mouth to mention Feliciano, then shut it. Maybe it was best he kept quiet about his twin brother. If Antonio met him, then he would realize how much better the other Vargas was, like everyone else did. He would call Feliciano cute instead of Lovino, and that thought pissed him off. "No. I am an only child."

"Just like me! Okay, next..."

Antonio continued to ask the questions, and Lovino answered in his ornery way. As time went on, Lovino began to relax around the Spanish boy. It dawned on him that he was beginning to like this Antonio.

For Lovino Vargas, liking someone only meant trouble.

**xxx**

Later, at approximately four p.m., Arthur Kirkland was being led to the auditorium, the student councils officers surrounding him. They seemed very relaxed and carefree, a deep contrast from the British boy. He was expected to deliver a speech to the first year class, and though he had the speech written down, he was fearful of messing up.

Yao poked Arthur's side hard, glaring at him. "Were you listening to me? I was wishing you good luck, aru."

"Oh, sorry, thanks..." Arthur mumbled, and Yao sighed irritably before smiling at him. Though he was the same age as all of them, he seemed to act like the mother of the group.

"Yes, let us hope you do not mess up and ruin it all," Ivan said cheerfully, earning an exasperated sigh from Yao.

"That will not make him feel better, aru."

"Oh? But this way he'll make sure not to do it..."

As the two started to bicker, Alfred threw an arm around the Brit's shoulders. "Ignore 'em. You're going to be totally amazing, dude."

Arthur gave him a weary smile, a jerk nod following after. "Thanks. To be quite honest, I'm not sure if I can really do it. I think my speech is nice but...I want it to be inspiring to the first years..." He coughed, looking away bashfully. "Whatever, it's stupid."

"Nah. Well, a little bit, but it's still cool," said Alfred, grinning at his boyfriend cheekily. The Brit huffed, though he did feel a tad better because of the teasing. Alfred seemed to be good at that, calming him down with his stupid sense of humor. It's what got him through a lot of difficult situations in his life, and he was grateful.

They soon reached the backstage, and Arthur could hear the chatter from where he was standing. His first instinct was to run away, but he drowned that feeling out when a warm hand squeezed his own. It was going to be okay. He could do this. As long as Alfred was with him.

The headmistress, a serious woman who seemed to resemble a lizard of some sort, spoke to the students onstage. "Welcome, first year students, to Orbis Terrarum Academy. It is such an honor to have you here, as I'm sure it is for yourself as well. Beautiful World Academy is more than just a bunch of intelligent teenagers, it's a place for people around the world to unite as one. As much as I'd like to give my own speech to you aspiring first years, I'll have to give it away to your student council president." She glanced at Arthur, giving him a nod. "Please welcome President Arthur Kirkland, along with Vice President Alfred F. Jones, Treasurer Ivan Braginsky, and Secretary Yao Wang."

A polite applause followed, and Arthur walked out onto the stage. The podium for him was set, and it made him feel much more taller than he would have wanted. He cleared his throat a few times, looking down at his papers. "Thank you, headmistress. I would like to welcome you all as well, for I know it isn't easy nor simple to get into this academy. No, all of you are the very brightest from around the world, and all sound feel honored."

Arthur relaxed a bit, smiling at the audience. "When I first came to this academy, I didn't think I had much to worry about besides grades. But, I've come to realize this is a mistake we all make when we first come. Just because we are intelligent, and from very different places, we think that there couldn't be any real drama...but that isn't true. Whether it be relationships, friendships, or enemies, we will all experience it.

"I don't want to scare any of you as I say this. I simply think that as honor students, we are painted as these immaculate teenagers without a problem in the world. This is incredibly false. We experience the hardships every teenager does, we just happen to have a higher IQ.

"Don't be frightened of this idea. In the end, we might be smart and talented, but we're also human. Don't let the media make you some picture perfect character, because you're not. Slow down, focus on your work, and try to get along. If we live in happiness, without having to change who we are...well, that just makes Beautiful World Academy simply...beautiful," he finished, looking out to the audience. After a moment, he said a sheepish, "thank you" but the last word was drowned out by the applause he received. It was loud, much more than in the beginning. Some students had stood, it was like he was in a movie.

The headmistress beamed at Arthur, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. "Thank you, Arthur." The Brit nodded, then went offstage with the other officers as the headmistress began to speak of clubs and other things.

Once they were far enough, Yao grinned at Arthur. "You did amazing, aru!"

"_Da_! That was much better than expected!" Ivan added happily.

"I knew you would be amazing, dude, I called it!" Alfred hooted, socking the Englishman's arm playfully.

Arthur beamed at the officers, flushing brightly. "You think so?"

"Of course! I think some even cried, aru!" Yao chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, I better go. I need to meet a first year friend of mine, aru."

Ivan sighed, looking a bit fearful. "I must go to my little sister as well..." Arthur swore he saw the Russian shudder.

"See you guys later!" Alfred called out, grabbing Arthur's arm and dragging him away. The Brit did nothing to protest, only waved at his friends.

There was a bit of silence between the two, as they walked through the corridors. "You really think I did okay?" Arthur asked quietly, embarrassed for some unfathomable reason.

Alfred ruffled his hair, grinning. "I'm not a liar, Arthur. I really think it was banging, even though it was so totally cheesy," he teased, earning a grumble from the reddening Englishman.

"Hmmph. Well, thank you, regardless. Some of it went off of the script I prepared, so I was worried it didn't sound professional..." Arthur admitted.

"Seriously? You made some of it up? Seriously, dude, you really are magical." Magic was a bit of a joke for the two of them, mostly Alfred. When they were younger, Arthur was a firm believer in all things mystical and thought of himself as a genuine sorcerer. He grew out of it, but the American would never let it go.

Arthur pushed him lightly, and then they were silent. It was a comfortable silence between the two, for there was nothing really left to be said. Within two minutes, they were outside Arthur's door.

"I'm going to stay in tonight, get some things done, so I won't be at dinner, okay?" Arthur said, feeling a bit silly for confirming this with Alfred. They weren't married or anything, after all.

Alfred just nodded. "Yeah, okay. Uh, see you later..."

Before Arthur could go into his room, Alfred placed one hand against his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. The British boy nearly gasped out loud, but instead stayed perfectly still. They weren't in the stage of their relationship where it was normal for this sort of affection, but that was mostly because of Alfred. Contrary to popular belief, the American boy was ridiculously bashful when it came to physical contact. This kind of thing was exciting, it was new.

All too soon, Alfred pulled away, blushing. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that. I better get going. See you late- I already said that."

Arthur laughed, kissing his idiotic boyfriend's cheek sweetly. "Git," he mumbled against his cheek, before going into his room and shutting the door. He felt a little dizzy, to be honest. He had been waiting so long for his American boyfriend to take the lead and kiss him like that.

Then, the English teenager felt his excited mood slowly drop down. He had been almost considered asking Alfred to come into his room for a moment there. Desire had filled his mind, only for a second, but still there. He had considered pressuring his boyfriend into doing other activities together...

He shook his head, taking a calculus textbook from his backpack. He would do his homework, work on some things, and maybe go to sleep early. Thinking about the speech had made the previous night restless for him.

However, as he tried to work, the only thing he focused on were warm lips on his own. For a while, it was the only thing he could think about.

**xxx**

**Gosh, England. You need to keep it in your pants, this is still a rated T story!**

**For now, anyway. Kesesese~**

**Translations (cause fuck me there were a lot):**

**Soyons ensemble pour toujours- Let's be together forever (French)**

**Trinken wir für immer- We drink forever (German)**

**Vayamos de fiesta para siempre- Let's party forever (Spanish)**

**Mes amis- My friends (French)**

**Nein- No (German. Durrrr)**

**Très mignon- Very cute (French)**

**Bruder- Brother (German)**

**Crétin- Dumbass (French)**

**Merci- Thank you (French)**

**Mon cher- My dear (French)**

**Ich komme wieder- I'll be back (German)**

**Unglaublich- Incredible (German)**

**Lecker- Delicious (German) **

**Insegnante spaventoso- Scary teacher (Italian)**

**Excusez-nous- Excuse us (French)**

**Lovino es muy lindo!- Lovino is very cute! (Spanish)**

**Novios- Boyfriends (Spanish)**

**Mi lindo pequeña italiano- My cute little Italian (Spanish)**

**Also, the two teachers names got meanings. Korkunç is Turkish for 'scary' or 'terrible', and tonto is Spanish for 'silly' or 'ridiculous'. **

**And yes, I'm going to explain why Spain is in Spanish class.**

**Shout out to bittersweet123 for pointing out my dumb Spanish error. I'm highly American guys. **

**Stay tuned for more bad translations and gay babies. **


	4. Gossip

**Imagine going to a school where pretty much everyone is gay. You've just imagined every Hetalia high school AU on the planet, congratulations.**

**Please excuse my shit translations. I speak only American. **

**By the way it's not like everyone here knows every language. Bad Touch Trio probably learned Spanish, German, and French so they could tell each other shit without people knowing. Liet and Poland are besties, so they obviously are fluent in each other's language. I felt that needed to be clarified. **

**Okay yeah enjoy.**

**xxx**

Wouldn't you love to hear about the next few days at Beautiful World Academy? About the sprouting friendships, the new inside jokes, and the budding romances between certain people?

Well, that's unfortunate, because what happened next took place a week after the first day. So no, you will not be able to see the first student council meeting or the first quiz of the semester. What a shame. In reconciliation, how about we get down to the juiciest gossip? It would be easier to simply tell you, but I like to live in the moment, don't you?

The first little rumor is about a very fussy Italian boy and his complicated mindset.

**xxx**

In Italy, if you weren't artistically talented, then you weren't worth the trouble. At least, this is what Lovino Vargas grew up to believe. Feliciano was known as a prodigious painter, and even lived with their famous Grandpa Arsenius for a short period of time to learn more. Feliciano was everyone's friend, and was just a joy to be around.

So where did that leave his twin brother? Lovino had no special talents, other than his intelligence. He couldn't dance or sing or paint as well as Feliciano. Arsenius usually struggled to remember his name. Back in his homeland, he had only a small number of acquaintances. He just wasn't good enough. So he had become cold and angry, swearing to himself over and over that people were stupid.

So how the fuck had he fallen in love with a goofy Spaniard?

He could have been mistaken (and he probably was), but the Spanish teenager was always poking him and touching him and calling him cute, it made it seem like more than friendship. It was more affection from someone that he ever gotten, he even got less from Feliciano. It made Lovino mad, happy, sad, and confused. He wasn't sure whether to beat up the bastard or hug him.

The realization came to him one day sitting in Spanish class: he had a crush on Antonio.

Lovino had crushes before, but they were on pretty girls who always liked Feliciano better. Never in his life was he attracted to another man. But Antonio was just...different. In more ways than one.

It didn't help that the entire class thought they were dating. Antonio's two friends would wiggle their eyebrows and make kissing sounds whenever Antonio was much too friendly. They knew, the teacher knew, everyone knew except for...

Antonio himself. Lovino had heard him say, to his stupid friends, that Lovino was a "totally cute and funny _amigo_." That's what he called Lovino, without blushing or stuttering like the Italian would have done if he had said it. He only thought this was some kind of friendship, the inconsiderate bastard. He had seduced Lovino, and that wasn't even his plan in the first place.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fucking fair. He needed a chance to make the Spaniard aware of his feelings. Just something, it didn't matter.

Fortunately, his chance came along, exactly one week after the miserable first day. Señor Tanto announced cheerfully, "For the next two weeks, we will work on our first ever project! Exciting, _sí_? You will be able to work with _un compañero_ as long as they do not distract you."

There it was. Lovino finally had an opportunity to be alone with Antonio. "Hey, bastard. No one else is really interesting, so I guess we'll work together," he whispered nonchalantly, hoping that his voice wouldn't reveal his true motives.

The idiot grinned, reaching over and patting his head. "Sure, Lovi, I'd love to! We'll definitely get an A, I promise!"

Lovino scoffed, a pleased flush spreading across his cheeks as the teacher explained the project. It sounded complicated, but he kind of had an advantage, considering this fucker was Spanish.

Lovino had inquired before why Antonio was even in the class, and the Spaniard went into a long story on how his idiotic friends wanted him to help them so they convinced the school that Antonio was born in Spain, but raised in America. A huge lie, but it worked. He also learned that this goofy moron was actually a huge troublemaker, sneaking all sorts of things into the school with his friends. They were hated by the class president, and nearly got expelled for some prank they pulled the previous year.

One would think all of this would drive Lovino away, yet it only made the Spaniard more desirable. Ugh.

"Oi, _bastardo_. We have to make it look like I'm helping you with the work," Lovino mumbled to Antonio, while the teacher was answering the nonsensical questions of a Finnish boy.

Antonio brightened, and nodded vigorously. "You can come to my room if you'd like, Lovi! Ah, from four to five is my siesta time...but I'm okay with everything other than that!"

The Italian rolled his eyes, then slowly nodded. "Okay, whatever. I'll come over tonight, whenever I feel like it. You better not be slacking off or anything! I am not going to fail the first project because my partner is a lazy _cazzo_!"

Antonio laughed, cupping both of Lovino's cheeks. "I'd never want to disappoint you, Lovi, don't you worry! You'll pass, I promise."

Lovino felt his cheeks boil, and he squirmed out of Antonio's reach. "Yeah, whatever, asshole." He looked down at the desk, trying to catch his breath. It felt like a swarm of butterflies had invaded his stomach, and his heart was beating loud enough for it to be audible.

He hated being in love.

**xxx**

Toris Laurinaitis wasn't the subject of the next rumor, but he very well might be. It was about his friend, after all, and he couldn't even defend him.

Feliks Łukasiewicz had always been a friend of Toris. He wasn't the kind of person the Lithuanian boy usually sought out friendship with, he was much more...expressive than that. He was practically the opposite of Toris, it would have made more sense if they were rivals. But ever since Toris moved to Poland when he was ten, they had been inseparable. Getting into the same elite school was pure coincidence, and Toris was excited.

That is, until Feliks walked into the academy wearing a skirt.

It came out of virtually no where. Feliks pretended, for the entirety of their first year, that it was some kind of joke. Now it was their second year, and the Polish boy had announced it was his serious choice of fashion.

Now, Feliks was getting rude remarks and obscene catcalls now. With strangers, Feliks was heavily shy and it was sad to see him stammer and blush and try not to cry. Toris wasn't sure what to do.

His other two close friends, Eduard von Bock and Raivis Galante, both gave him two entirely different pieces of advice. Eduard had given him multiple books dealing with self-help and bullying, and Raivis ended up crying before he could finish his advice. Not very helpful, actually, now that he thought of it. Toris still had no idea what to say to help his friend out.

On the day that Lovino Vargas asked Antonio Carriedo to be his project partner, Feliks had approached him in study hall with a sudden question. "Tori, do you think I look cute this way?"

"Eh?" Toris was more than a little surprised. Feliks talked like this often, but he was never so direct about it. At least, not with Toris.

The blond pouted, in a way that was not cute. Nope, not at all. "All these people are, like, so totally mean about my skirts. I like it, but they don't. Do you, Tori?"

Toris stammered and stuttered for a few minutes, and Feliks waited patiently. Finally, the Lithuanian cleared his throat and finally offered a weak smile. "Sure, Feliks, it looks...nice. People just aren't used to it, that's all."

The Polish teen grinned, throwing his arms around the startled brunet. He planted a big, wet kiss on his forehead. "_Dziękuję, _Tori! I was, like, so sure you would be against it. Such a good friend you are, totally the best!" He began speaking in rapid Polish, words of affection and gratitude.

Toris simply forced a smile, wiping his forehead and flushing. "_Jūs laukiami, _Feliks. But you don't need to thank me...

Feliks beamed at him, and it was so genuine it hurt. "I know but I'm just really happy! I thought you'd be the one to dislike it or be weirded out by it. _Jesteś najlepszy. Ty mnie uszczęśliwi_."

All of the gratitude was making Toris feel guilty. He was weirded out by the skirt, but not in the way Feliks was thinking. The way it made his friend look...it caused Toris to turn red and make his words coherent. It was wrong the way it made him felt.

Luckily, the bell rang that exact moment. Feliks sighed, rolling his eyes. "Ugh, calculus. Meet me at lunch, Tori, we totally need to hang out." He kissed his friend's cheek, before bouncing way. Toris watched as his skirt swayed back and forth.

Once Feliks was gone, the Lithuanian covered his face and groaned. He was in trouble.

**xxx**

Having lunch at fourth period was not ideal for Elizabeta Héderváry, as it was much too early and accurately more of an early brunch than anything. Still, a few of her best friends were with her, and that made it all okay.

Despite her tomboy-ish nature, the group she sat with at lunch were all girls, and very feminine at that. Still, most of them knew Elizabeta well, and adored her. Even if she had her strange interests...

First, there was Sofia Braginsky, a kind Russian girl whose most prominent feature were her large breasts. Because of these pesky things, she was an easy target for boys, and was much too nice to tell them off. She was two years ahead Elizabeta and acted as the mother of their group, maternal and sweet. She was such a contrast from her younger brother Ivan, who even frightened tough Elizabeta.

Next was Laura Wouters, a Belgian girl who was probably the most mature out of all of them. She had a bit of a self-esteem problem, admitting that she wasn't as interesting as her two brothers, but she really did try, and Elizabeta gave her credit for that. She was always cheerful, looking on the bright side of anything that happened.

Then there was her newest friend, a Swiss first year by the name of Erika Zwingli, known as the cutest thing ever, in Elizabeta's opinion. She was a bit shy and quiet, but extremely nice to those around her. Elizabeta was shocked to find out that her older brother was Basch Zwingli, a very violent boy in her grade. Erika talked of her older brother with such admiration, it made the Hungarian wonder if they were speaking of the same person.

Lastly, there was Sofia's little sister, Natalia. She was very pretty, even more so than her sister (not that Elizabeta would tell Sofia that) and a bit chesty as well. But she was so...unnerving. She was cold and harsh, and had a tendency to play with the knives the cafeteria served. Like Erika, she spoke fondly of her big brother, but in a very uncomfortably obsessive way. She didn't seem to like anyone at the table, especially her sister, but stayed simply because Ivan wasn't in the same lunch period.

Yes, they were an odd bunch, but Elizabeta was happy with them. They were okay with her bringing up her weird interests. The day that Toris was struggling over his strange thoughts, for example, was the day she brought up a topic that was intriguing her for days on end.

"Girls," she began, "it is time to talk about which guys want to do each other!"

This caused a series of reactions. Sofia giggled, Laura sighed and shook her head, Erika blushed and hid her face in embarrassment, and Natalia huffed. All were expecting it sometime, but they couldn't help how surprised they still were that Elizabeta was so into gay relationships. She always had new pairings every week, and would tell them whether they liked it or not. Of course, she had a few that she was smart enough not to share. Like the one with Ivan and Yao that Natalia would probably kill her for. Or the one with Erika's brother and Elizabeta's boyfriend, Roderich. Poor thing would probably cry.

"What is it this time?" Laura asked, pushing her tray away in disgust. Every day she tried the school's Belgian waffles, and every day she was disappointed. Why she even bothered anymore, no one knew.

Elizabeta clapped her hands together, a gesture that was unusually girly for her. "My favorite one is so adorable. It's Antonio Carriedo, that Spaniard who always hangs out with Frances and Gilbert, and a cute first year Italian boy. I met him on the first day, his name is Lovino, and he's such a 'hard on the outside with a gooey and soft inside' type. I saw them walking out of Señor Tanto's class once and they were just so cute!"

Erika tilted her head, her signature blue ribbon dangling from her hair. "Ah, I am in that class. Everyone thinks they're together, but Lovino gets so angry and turns red." She smiled a little. "It is pretty cute..."

"I thought you wouldn't pair up any of the Bad Friends Trio, considering what happened last year..." Sofia recalled. Last year, Gilbert had mistaken Elizabeta for a boy and tried to fight her. She participated, and Gilbert ripped her shirt off accidentally. He was beaten pretty badly, to say the least.

"Do not mention that," Elizabeta groaned, shaking her head. "Anyway, Antonio is okay. He isn't as bad as the other two, he's pretty nice really. And him with Lovino..." She sighed, a dreamy smile on her face. "I think that's my top pairing of the year so far. Along with Arthur Kirkland and Alfred Jones."

"Oh, so it isn't only me who thinks they are together?" Laura grinned slightly, earning laughs from everyone except Natalia. "Seriously, they are so obvious."

Sofia chuckled, shaking her head. "Honestly, what if they were really just friends? Elizabeta, you are getting obsessed with this."

The Hungarian rolled her eyes, smiling still. "Relax, Sofia, I could do a lot worse. It's not like I tell them I ship them or anything. I just silently watch from afar, mentally squealing at the cuteness."

"Ugh. You are annoying," grumbled Natalia, slicing up her food over and over without actually eating it.

"Natalia, apologize," Sofia commanded softly, in a way that wasn't threatening in the least. Her sister said nothing, just continued cutting up her food. Sofia sighed, then perked up a bit. "Ah, Elizabeta, how's it going with you and Roderich?"

Elizabeta felt her face heat up at the mention of her boyfriend. Roderich Edelstein was a talented Austrian pianist, his skills being too advanced for even the school to handle properly. He asked Elizabeta out October of last year, and she accepted. Many teased that they were already like a married couple, and both of them had to admit it was true. They were just so...domestic. Still, this did nothing to wear out the relationship. Elizabeta was still hopelessly in love with him, no matter what.

"It is going well, I think. He was very busy this summer in Austria, he helped out with the Nova Rock Festival and had a few concerts in Vienna."

"Really? Wow, that's really cool," Erika whispered, looking absolutely awestruck. She was easily impressed, but even Sofia and Laura were interested.

"He's making quite the career for himself, isn't he? At such a young age, too..." marveled Laura, head tilted in thought. "Though, doesn't this mean you two won't be able to see each other as much?"

Elizabeta frowned, pursing her lips. That thought had haunted the whole summer vacation. What if Roderich gained so much fame, he wouldn't want to waste any more time with someone as talentless as Elizabeta? What if he met someone much more musically advanced than her? It wasn't impossible, was it?

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find some time. After all, he can't practice for the whole year, right?" she said, forcing a weak smile. The girls returned it, all but Natalia.

"You two are so nice together. I bet you'll be the first ones to get married," sighed Sofia, a dreamy look passing her features. Natalia rolled her eyes, but kept her mouth shut.

Erika beamed, leaning forward and whispering, "I heard that he might be offered a scholarship to a very nice music academy in Austria. Is this true, Elizabeta?"

The Hungarian felt her mouth dry instantly. She had heard nothing about a scholarship. Roderich hadn't told her about anything like that. So why did this tiny first year know more than her?

Erika must have seen the look on her face, for she backtracked immediately, "I mean, it's just a rumor. My big brother told me about it. I don't know where he heard it from, so he could have been misunderstood..."

Elizabeta shot her a tight-lipped smile, nodding slowly. A long, awkward silence followed this, as the girls finished their meals. Elizabeta was confused, Erika was filled with guilt, Sofia was thinking of something to say, Laura was uncomfortable, and Natalia was amused.

In the end, Elizabeta remembered that she really hated fourth period lunch.

**xxx**

Feliciano Vargas loved pasta. It didn't matter the kind, or what kind of sauce it was in, he loved it any way it was made. It was just something he liked. Even if it was low quality school issued pasta, he would surely eat it. So at the last period of the day, his lunch period, Feliciano happily devoured the slimy spaghetti without protest.

Ludwig Beilschmidt, who sat across from him, wrinkled his nose. "Do you ever eat anything but pasta?"

The Italian paused, red tomato sauce on his chin. "Hmm...I like to eat pizza too! But pasta is the best there is!" He kept eating, not noticing the mess he was making.

Ludwig sighed, returning to his lunch of overcooked baked potatoes. He wished Kiku was here, the Japanese boy was actually mature and reasonable. Alas, his lunch period was earlier than theirs. For the German, this was a nightmare. He liked Feliciano just fine, but his cheery disposition and affectionate nature was so strange to him. It was just...weird.

"Did you hear me, Ludwig?" asked Feliciano, and Ludwig snapped out of his light trance.

"Ah, no, I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

Feliciano smiled, brushing off his friend's delayed answer. "It is okay! I was saying how scary our biology teacher is! I feel like she's always watching me with every move I make. Do you feel the same?"

"She is only making sure we do not slack off," argued Ludwig, a big supporter of rules. They were there for a reason after all, and someone had to enforce them.

"Ve...I guess you are right! I am just not used to such a teacher. All of my instructors in Italy were so happy, the only mean person back home was my brother!"

"...You have a brother?" Ludwig asked, because wasn't it normal for friends to get to know each other like this?

"_Si_! His name is Lovino, and we are twins! But he's older than me by two minutes. He attends school here as well! Ah, we do not see each other often though. That is sad," Feliciano sighed, looking upset for half a second before brightening. "Still, he is very smart, even though he's mean!"

Ludwig found this to be surprising. He assumed everyone in the Vargas family had to be as happy and excitable as Feliciano. Guess not. "I see."

"Does Ludwig have a brother too?" wondered Feliciano aloud, leaning forward eagerly.

"Ah, I do. His name is Gilbert, and he's older than me and...well, we're not really similar either." That was an understatement.

"Oh? Like how?"

Ludwig clicked his tongue, slightly embarrassed. "He is very immature and silly. He always gets in trouble. The worst part is everyone now thinks I am the same as him." He looked at the Italian, then insisted, "I'm not."

"I know that! Ludwig is serious and scary! But I like you, even if you could crush me!" Feliciano sang, reaching over to squeeze the German's hand. Ludwig flinched, but forced himself to relax.

"_Danke_, Feliciano," he replied earnestly, squeezing the smaller's hand back gently.

"Of course, Ludwig! That's what friends are for!" he chirped, going back to his food immediately.

Feliciano was strange. He was constantly happy and always ready to hug, even if you weren't. But, as much as Ludwig wanted to deny it, he was a very good friend. That much was certain.

**xxx**

**Germany and Italy are so cute, it should be illegal. **

**Un compañero- A partner (Spanish) **

**Cazzo- Fuck (Italian) **

**Dziękuję- Thank you (Polish)**

**Jūs laukiami- You're welcome (Lithuanian) **

**Jesteś najlepszy. Ty mnie uszczęśliwi- You're the best. You make me happy (Polish)**

**Danke- Thank you (German)**

**So, any characters you wanna see? Any pairings you want me to focus on? Let me know!**


	5. Story of Love

**Well you kids sure wanted to see a lot of couples. And you will get your wish! This chapter will spend time with your most favorite couples! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Arthur Kirkland was more than a little stressed out. It was only the end of September, why did he have so much work to do? First, he had to deal with the complaints from the first years about a certain member of the Bad Friends Trio groping them. Then, there was the Halloween Dance, that many students were against because it wasn't a tradition in their country and were offended. On top of that, he had three papers due and a project, all of which he didn't even begin. Yes, it was all very stressful.<p>

At least he had Alfred. Though, that wasn't very much.

"Dude, I'm telling you, we should just ditch the corny Halloween idea and do another theme," he suggested, lounging on Arthur's bed as the Brit worked at his desk, "What if we just called it a costume party? With zero indication that it's Halloween."

Arthur sighed irritably, throwing down his pencil. Calculus was just impossible. Whoever created it should have been arrested. "I told you, there are too many people that like Halloween and get angry when we want to change it. God, why is this school so culturally diverse? I swear, it just makes things so much more difficult! Now, I have to choose which group I want to be killed by more; the pro-Halloweens or the anti-Halloweens."

"Psh, they won't kill you. I'll save your ass, because I'm the hero!" Alfred proclaimed, before snickering. "That makes you the damsel in distress, Artie."

"Tosser," scoffed Arthur, putting his homework away. He'd do it tomorrow, at lunch. His brain was too frazzled right now, equations couldn't fit in there. "I am exhausted. Is it to much to ask for a little sleep? Perhaps two or three years of it?" He yelped as a pair of tanned arms picked him up easily, bridal-style.

"Hmm, nah. I'll just take your place as president. And you can be the vice president, considering I don't do anything, according to you. Good plan?" Alfred fell back onto the bed, Arthur still in his grasp. The Englishman squirmed, before giving up and cuddling against the American. Truthfully, he was quite the cuddler. Of course, not even Alfred knew that little secret, so distaste was painted all over his face.

"Thanks for asking if you could pick me up and force me against you. But no thanks. With you as president, the lunch options would be cola, hamburgers, and french fries."

"Don't forget ice cream!" Alfred added, burying his face in Arthur's messy mop of hair. "And I get special privileges as your boyfriend. Like cuddling. Lots and lots of it! Don't even lie, I already know you're a huge cuddle slut."

Damn it, he already knew. Arthur assumed he was too much of a dope to pick up on it. "Darn, you've uncovered my biggest secret. Whatever shall I do now?" He rolled his eyes, though the gesture went unnoticed by Alfred, who was still nuzzling his hair.

"Make me president?"

"Not a snowball's chance in Hell."

Alfred laughed, pulling away from Arthur's hair and looking down at him. Their faces were awfully close, yet it felt more natural than embarrassing. "Rude. I think I'd make an excellent president."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, shifting a bit. "Then why didn't you run instead? I thought you'd be the first one to jump at the chance of being something important."

Alfred shrugged, blue eyes rolling up in thought. "Because you wanted it. I'm not usually passionate about that kind of stuff. Politics and all, you know? Even though you take it all way too seriously, that's better than not caring at all. Which is what I would've brought to the table. I don't know, you're just a lot smarter than me."

Pink dusted the Brit's cheeks as this was said. "We got into the same school, didn't we? You aren't stupid, Alfred."

"Never said I was. You're just smarter. I don't know. I just think you deserve this more than me. You work hard for what you want, Arthur, and I don't think I do enough." Alfred sounded so serious. It was strange when he got like that, it was vastly different from his regular goofy self. A side that only Arthur ever saw, when they were like this. It made the Englishman truly realize how much of an idiot this American was and how deeply in love he was with said idiot.

So, instead of trying to say this, he kissed him. Just a normal, quick peck that meant to express his feelings without all the mushy stuff. Because if there was one thing they both failed at, it was the mushy things.

A few more short kisses and nuzzles later, Arthur looked over at his wall clock. "It's nearly ten. You should go and get some sleep."

Alfred sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Only if you promise to hit the hay when I'm gone. None of your stress-induced all nighters, okay? Not healthy, bro."

"Because you're the perfect depiction of health, hmm?" Arthur commented sarcastically, not bothering to get up after him.

"I balance the junk food with a healthy amount of sleep, which explains my godlike body," explained Alfred, flexing comically.

Arthur snorted, then grabbed his blanket. "Well, I'll sleep then. Don't expect me to do it every night or anything. Only because you asked."

Alfred grabbed his superhero logo adorned backpack, glancing at Arthur wearily. "Well now you made me nervous that you aren't going to sleep. Because, no offense, but you've been looking like shit for the past few days. How long did you sleep last night?"

"Erm...two, maybe three hours? I didn't check, or anything, so I could very well be wrong about that," Arthur said quickly, noticing how upset Alfred began to get with his original assumption. Damn, he should've just lied. It was a terrible thing to do, he knew that, but pretending to be happy so his boyfriend was happy sounded better than both of them being miserable. But, then again, if he lied about it, that would create a huge distance between them in the relationship, because Alfred clearly wasn't an idiot. Ugh, he was thinking too much into this. "Listen, why don't...you can sleep here, if you'd like. I think...it would be better if someone was making sure I don't die."

The grin returned to Alfred's sun-kissed face, and the disappointment washed away seamlessly. It was fascinating how his emotions worked, with his face expressing each one at time, never the mix of two. He could go from totally upset to overwhelmingly excited. Like a puppy, really. "Sure thing! I mean, I don't have any pajamas or anything, but I can manage. You're gonna feel great, and you'll be able to die over the dumbest things again, except you won't be dead!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, before shutting them. "Whatever. C'mon, then, I just want to sleep and you're going to be a temporary teddy bear."

"It's what I'm good for." Alfred turned the lights off, and climbed into the bed. Because it would be really stupid for him to sleep in his uncomfortable uniform, he stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt. Of course, Arthur watched just to make sure he wasn't sleeping naked or anything. Because that would be just awful. Obviously.

Alfred wrapped his arms around Arthur's skinny figure and pulling him closer. The Brit allowed this, and turned to him, even though he felt peculiarly nervous about all of this. Sure, they had sleepovers before, but never when they were a couple. It was just...different.

"You are an absolute moron, but I couldn't live without you," he mumbled, before he could even stop and think about it for a second. Fuck, that was really mushy and stupid and he didn't know why he had to say that.

There was a pause, and Arthur legitimately thought he was going to die, before Alfred responded, "You're an upright, stressed out guy, but I'm really glad we're together." Then, because neither of them wanted to talk about what they just said, both leaned in simultaneously for a long, hard kiss. The room was filled with the wet sounds of lips smacking, and it was music to Arthur's ears.

Eventually, they both fell asleep after the kiss, legs tangled together and arms wrapped loosely around the other.

For once, everything in the world seemed calm.

Love was great.

* * *

><p>Lovino Vargas hated Spanish. The class, that is, and not the language itself, which sounded heavenly when coming from a specific person of interest. But no matter how much he liked a Spaniard, it wouldn't change the poor work he did in the classroom.<p>

He couldn't understand it. He was Italian, his language being awfully close to the one he was studying, so how were things difficult? His ridiculous teacher, Señor Tonto, had informed Lovino that he would fail the class if he didn't get an A on the first project. Whatever, his teacher was an imbecile anyway who was born in America and had a different last name (Antonio told him this, and wouldn't say what his fake one meant, just laughed). Still, he didn't want a failing grade.

The project was due in two days and only half of his share was done. With no other possible choice, he went to Antonio's room. He was definitely not excited to see Antonio's room for the first time or anything. No, nothing like that.

Lovino knocked on the door, hard. "_Aprite la porta, bastardo_!" he yelled, ignoring the dirty looks he got from passing students. After a few minutes of knocking and yelling, Antonio finally answered the door.

He had obviously just woken from sleep, with his hair more messy than usual and his hand rubbing one green eye. Most importantly, he was only wearing jeans. His caramel colored chest was exposed, and it took Lovino every bit of strength not to stare. "Lovi? _Que pasa_?"

The Italian shook his head, forcing himself to look into the Spaniard's eyes. "I'm smart enough to do it myself but...can you help me with the project...?" Oh, it was so hard to be slightly honest.

Antonio offered a sleepy smile. "Sure, Lovi. Come on in, it's a bit messy in here, but I hope that's okay." He shuffled to the side so Lovino could enter, before shutting the door. Antonio's room was filled with various football teams, and he had a huge flag of Spain above his bed. Lovino sat down, glaring at the Spaniard.

"It's not even nighttime, asshole. Why were you even asleep?" He glanced at the clock to make sure. It read 4:30, there was no reason for this dick to have just woken up.

"I told you my siesta time is from four to five, Lovi. Ah, you weren't listening, were you?" Antonio asked, pretending to look stern about it, but failing completely. He never could look serious, and it was both stupid and endearing.

"I just forgot, _idiota_. Anyway, you need to help me with this, because it's both of our grades." Lovino slammed the papers he had brought onto the bed, crossing his arms. It was embarrassing to ask for help, it really was. He thought he was smarter than this. Apparently he was just as average as a regular high school student. How embarrassing.

Antonio looked at the Italian curiously. "Do you not understand? I mean, Italian and Spanish are close languages. I thought this would've been easy for you..."

"Sorry I'm stupider than you expected, asshole," he hissed, narrowing his eyes at Antonio. That really was unfair of him, even he knew that, but he was angry at himself.

The Spaniard frowned. "I never said you were stupid, Lovi. You're not. It's okay to struggle with these things. Spanish is a another language, even if it is close to yours. I'm sorry if I made you feel bad."

Fuck. How was he supposed to stay angry with this guy around? His features softened, though he was still glaring slightly. "Hmmph. Whatever. Just help me."

So they worked. Most of it was Spain explaining things and Romano writing stuff done. Sometimes the idiot took a break to call Lovino adorable or something close to that. Lovino would promptly smack him in the arm and blush. Always.

After an hour, they finally completed the project and Antonio's arm hurt only a little bit. Overall, it was pretty damn successful. Plus, Antonio had called Lovino cute sixteen times. Not that he was keeping count or anything.

"Uh...thank you, I guess," the Italian mumbled, bringing his knees to his chest and hugging them tightly. He knew that leaving now would have been rational, but he wanted to stay. He wanted to just talk to Antonio and have him smile in that way that made Lovino tongue-tied and dizzy.

The Spanish boy patted his head. "_De nada_, Lovi! That was pretty fun, I'm glad we got to work together! Maybe we could do that for other projects, how does that sound?"

"Fine..." Why was he so anxious? He couldn't stop staring at Antonio's lips and that really wasn't good. They looked soft. He wanted to touch them.

"Hm? Are you okay, Lovi? This is the part where you usually call me an idiot and leave like the cute, grumpy little tomato you usually are." Antonio placed a cool hand on Lovino's forehead, his bright green eyes peering curiously into Lovino's amber orbs. Without thinking too much on the consequences, Lovino leaned in and firmly placed his lips on Antonio's.

They were kissing. Lovino was correct in guessing how soft his lips were, but he wasn't expecting how warm they were or how they had a bit of a spicy taste to them. He didn't want to stop, but he needed to know if this was mutual. So he pulled back and examined Antonio's reactions.

Antonio looked shocked. Not angry or overjoyed, just surprised. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. "Lovi...what...why did you do that?"

He sounded genuinely confused, and Lovino took it the wrong way. Why did he do that? Was Antonio really so dense? Apparently so. The Italian stood, snatching the project from the other's hand.

"I like you, you stupid jerk! I've liked you since I first met you! It's your fault, you know, since you're always calling me cute and shit. I fucking love you," he blurted out, despising himself immediately after he said this.

Antonio still looked puzzled, shaking his head. "Lovi...I don't think that it is a good idea to love me. I really don't..."

"Whatever, just forget about it, okay? It was fucking stupid of me anyway," he growled, his entire face more red than it had ever been. He was so fucking embarrassed, why did he even do that?

"Huh? No, that's not what I meant..." Antonio tried to explain, but Lovino was already at the door.

"Don't...don't talk to me ever again, you asshole! I changed my mind, I hate you! You're the absolute worst!" He wanted to sound tough and indomitable, but he was already crying.

"I'm sorry-"

"_Vaffanculo_." Lovino slammed the door, practically sprinting to his room. He was an idiot for thinking that he actually had a fucking chance. He was angry at Antonio, he was angry at his stupid teacher, and he was angry at himself most of all. He sat on his bed and cried, until he was too tired to do anything else but sleep.

Love was evil.

* * *

><p>Kiku Honda believed he had the best and worst lab partner in the entire world. Well, in the entire academy maybe.<p>

Heracles Karpusi was brilliant, that much was certain. Not only had he been accepted to the academy, his test grades were always perfect. He never seemed surprised whenever he earned another impeccable score, he just smiled a little and fell asleep on his desk. He seemed to do that a lot, actually. The scary teacher never woke him, just shook her head slightly and continued explaining the lesson.

The only person Heracles seemed to dislike was a Turkish boy by the name of Sadik Annan. No one knew why they hated each other, but they really did. Sadik had figured out that Kiku was the Greek boy's lab partner and (sorta) friend, so now Kiku was subjected to the two of them fighting over who he liked better.

Despite how childish this fighting was, Kiku really did enjoy spending time with Heracles. Neither of the two liked to talk much, so they could work together in total silence and not have it be awkward. When they did talk to each other, their conversations were never deep or uncomfortable. Heracles had a fixation towards cats, and that was the foundation of 90% of their talks. Kind of strange, but Kiku didn't mind. Strange was his type of thing, since he'd been called it a fair amount of times.

It was not love. That was just ridiculous, Kiku Honda found love to be much too troubling. Besides, even if he did like Heracles like that, he would never have the courage to tell him. He wasn't cowardly, just not good at expressing his feelings. There was a difference, you know.

Still, he did like Heracles a lot. Whenever he wasn't with Feliciano and Ludwig, he went straight to the sleepy boy's room. It was peaceful there, no drama or loud noises or hugging. Just the soft sound of Heracles's snores and footsteps outside the door. It was so relaxing, Kiku longed to spend all of his time in that very room.

He definitely didn't like Heracles any more than a friend, but he would often do something that made the Japanese boy nervous and unsure. Sometimes, when he fell asleep, he would rest his head against Kiku's shoulder. He obviously never meant to do it, but he still did and it made Kiku anxious. He wasn't sure whether to wake him up or just sit there and ignore the feeling of the male's brown hair tickling his neck. He was too polite for the first one, so the second option was usually his best one. It could have been worse, at least. Somehow.

One particular day, both were sitting on Heracles's bed, both quietly staring into nothing. Kiku was sure his friend had fallen asleep, until he spoke.

"Do you think that I am weird?" He asked it so calmly, as if he was simply asking the time. Kiku was slightly put off, unsure if he should lie or just tell Heracles the truth. Well, he was never the best liar, so the second option won yet again.

Kiku nodded. "Yes, you're very weird. But I am too. It is okay." Perhaps that wasn't the best way to answer. Yet when he glanced at the Heracles, he was smiling. An unusually big one, especially for him.

"Hmm. Thanks. I am glad you are honest." Suddenly, both were hit with a similar feeling. That sort of feeling one gets when you get under the covers on a cold night and bundle up until you're finally warm and comfy. Both were so comfortable at that exact moment, and it was surreal.

They looked at each other, and exchanged knowing smiles. They had their faults, and both knew all of them well. But in a life so short, what was the point of ignoring them? Embracing the flaws was much more relaxing.

Love, although Kiku Honda didn't believe it, was comfort.

* * *

><p>Toris Laurinaitis was a bad, bad man.<p>

He was used to Feliks barging into his room in the middle of the night. He had somehow gotten copies of their keys, so they could access each other's rooms at any times. So nightly visits were frequent. However, what wasn't frequent, was Feliks arriving in tears.

"Feliks..._kas atsitiko, mano brangusis draugui_?" he whispered, pulling the blond inside before quietly shutting the door. They could get in serious trouble for this, but Feliks always said they were partners in crime anyway.

"Oh, Tori...it was totally awful! The stupid beasts made fun of me and, like, tried to rip my skirt off! Ugh!" Pale arms wrapped around the Lithuanian's neck, and a wet face was pressed against his chest. Toris sighed, stroking his friend's hair gently. He seemed to like that when he was sad.

"Who was it, Feliks? We can tell the headmistress and-"

"I don't know! It was dark in the hallway, Tori, I don't know who they were. They sounded like fourth-year students though," he mumbled, sniffling as he pressed into Toris more.

The brunet shuffled awkwardly. "Oh. Are you okay then, Feliks? I know they hurt your feelings and tried to take off your skirt, but nothing else, right?"

Feliks finally pulled away, wiping his tearful eyes. "Mmmhmm. I would've, like, killed them if they did that. I shouldn't have wore this skirt. _Jestem tak totalnie głupi_!" Feliks hit his forehead hard repeatedly, until Toris grabbed his hands.

"You are not stupid. Stop it. This wasn't your fault, Feliks," he soothed, rubbing the other's palm with his fingers.

Feliks said nothing for a minute, then smiled sadly. "Yes, but still. I shouldn't be wearing this stupid skirt. I will never wear it again. I'll...I'll wear pants like a normal person would. That would make it better, right?"

Toris felt his heart tug painfully. His poor, beloved friend wasn't going to wear the thing he loved most, all because of a few horrible people. That wasn't fair. Feliks was a bit odd, yes, but his intentions were never malicious. He just liked to wear skirts. Was that really so strange? Did he need to be punished for being who he truly was?

Toris wanted to tell him these things so badly, but there was one problem. He was a coward. If Feliks wore pants again, then the impure thoughts would go away. No more would he long to taste the blond's pouty lips or embrace him tightly or tell him that he loved him. They could be normal again.

"If you think that is the best thing to do, I won't stop you. Whatever makes you feel safe," he said brightly, a little too much so. Feliks didn't notice however, and just nodded, looking down at his pleated skirt depressingly. Safe, he would be, but not happy. Not at all.

"Thank you, Tori," Feliks mumbled, hugging his friend. "_Jesteś takim dobrym przyjacielem."_

Toris wasn't a good friend. Rather, he was the worst kind. He was selfish, he had only thought of himself and not Feliks. It was revolting.

Love was cruel.

* * *

><p><strong>THERE YOU GO TAKE IT JUST TAKE IT.<strong>

**Aprite la porta, bastardo- Open the door, bastard (Italian) **

**Que pasa?- What's wrong? (Spanish) **

**Vaffanculo- Fuck off (Italian) **

**Kas atsitiko, mano brangusis draugui?- What happened, my dear friend? (Lithuanian)**

**Jestem tak totalnie głupi- I'm so totally stupid (Polish)  
><strong>

**Jesteś takim dobrym przyjacielem- You are such a good friend (Polish) **

**Next chapter will skip ahead to the costume party, and it's gonna be a long one with lots of angst and drama and kissing. Yay. **

**What costumes do you want your favorite dorks to be in? Suggestions are welcome!**


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